The project was part of an EU programme to bring the economic and environmental benefits of
renewable energy to socially deprived areas.
The aim was to reduce energy costs for lower income households and encourage the use of
renewable energy.

Killick House is a council-tenanted block of 55 apartments at Collingwood Estate, Crown Road,
Sutton.

Tenants often pay higher rates for hot water, as residences tend to use expensive pre-pay
meters.
The Solar Thermal installation will provide about 160,000 kilowatt hours of energy (gas
consumption equivalent) per annum, providing about half of the hot water needs of the
apartment complex.

John Sinclair, the Regulatory/Energy Manager at Sutton Council commented

"We are very
proud to have this landmark solar installation in our block of flats.

We estimate that the
system will save the residents £3,000 per annum at current rates, and keep 36 tonnes of
carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere each year."

Plumbase is a nationwide supplier of quality plumbing and heating materials. SolarUK is
Britain's leading solar thermal manufacturer.

Together they have designed and provided the
largest copper cylinders to be used in a solar heating system in Britain.
The two giant hot water cylinders are each 1.9 meters high and 1.1 meters in diameter, and
hold a total of 3,000 litres of water.

They are heated by the Solar Collectors to provide hot
water for 53 flats. Normally four cylinders would be required, but Plumbase were able to
reduce this to two, improving system efficiency and lowering costs.

Mark Taylor, manager at Plumbase Crowborough, commented “It’s been very exciting to be
involved in what is a first for the plumbing and solar heating industries, and indeed for
renewable energy use in the UK.”

They
also managed the installation, drawing on the specialist expertise of Plumbase to provide the
giant cylinders.

Geoff Fox, of Solar UK, said: “We’re proud to be responsible for such a large-scale, high-profile
solar installation, and to be able to unite our technical expertise in this area with that of an
experienced partner like Plumbase.”